Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1887-10-12
The Pork of the Matter

NO young politician in the State
commands more respect for unri0bt-
ness ana candOr than VIM. r. McC9be
tne Speaker of the House of Renresen3
Ca'lNes, and when he declared himself
LOT convention and gave his reasons
therefore, the people felt he was giving
vent to his honest convictions HE
speech, and the illustration of the on
position of some men bv the reoor5
they have for the "porkn that com9 bU
UlDce' Is thus set forth in a report of
week: W." " i"sV
Mr.. Robinson can always have an
audience whenever he chooses to sneoi[
IN sussex county, and his effort al
lhongh extempOre, is regarded as a
squeIcher of the obstructionists. He is
PROFESSIONALLY the leader of reform IN
Sussex. But the speech which has
occaslOned the most remark here was
that OF the Hon. William r. McCabe
OF Selbyville, the youthful speaker of
the recent House of Representatives
Mr.. McCabe is an ardent friend of a
new constitution and he brought a
strong delegation here from his hmm
qred, but he did not expect to sneak
ne could not refuse, however. when
at the close of the remarks of Robert
Z: White, Esq, the hall rang with calls
Of McCabe' and good-naIured nr
harIin with a Come Billy made room
ior MN on the stage. Mr.. McCabe
struck Gut al once III simple, CONVEX
sational style and said that ever since
he had been old enough to think on
pubic affairs he had believed that re-
lorms We're necessary in the fundamen-
tai law OF the State, and that in 1882
when he read Governor Stocl,IevJe
wise suggestions on the question of
constitutional reform, he concurred Of
once with the views of his venerable
leader. In 1885, when he FIRST entered
the Goneai Assembly, he supported
the constitutional amendments which
mad been passed as Governor Stocklev's
earnest solicitation at the previous ses.
sion OF the General Assembly. and he
was sorry when those amendments
were defeated. Last winter he AGAIN
favored every reasonable project for
reform, and especially for reform
through a convention, and he was
heartily glad that this project had nre-
vailed and was now in such a fair wav
OF going through at the polls. He re.
GREETED to say that he found a number
CT Democrats who were opposed to the
convention, but their arguments wera
all OF the same interested character
and reminded him of the Juror who
stood out manfullY against bis eleven
associates who wished to convict n
Thief, who was undoubtedly guilty Of
stealing hogs, because as the Juror af-
terward admitted, he had received
some OF the pork. All of these oDpo-
nents OF constitutional reform had
some of the official pork in their posses.
sion,
Mr., McCabe ridiouled the idea that
the men of to day could not make as
good constitution rs their fathers had
done over fifty years ago. If the re-
forms demanded to-day were asked
for by the politicians, men might we'll
hesitate to go into the arduous labors
OF convention, but as the people were
seek King for the new laws and methods
ne mad every confidence In the move
ment. The speaker had not seen auv
OF the ghosts, either black or white.
which the opponents of the constitu-
ton were trying to conjure up and he
doubted if even those opponents saw
any real danger. For Instance. one
honest fellow, a Democrat, had told
him that he would willingly enough 90
for convention, but he was afraid TO
open the bag, fearing that the cat
might get away and never come back
to the party The speaker favored
district representation among the other
reforms suggested. A man told me
recently continued the speaker, that
! was foolish to go In for convention.
You live In a Republican hundredS
said he, and district representation will
shut you out But that is all right. I
know that Baltimore hundred is Re-
publican in sentiment, Is it not better
for one man to be shut out than that
the people of a whole hundred should
be kept out oftheir undoubted rights?
We want popular, democratic govern
ment in this State. This constitution
is neither democratic nor lust. and
want it changed.
" Mr.. McCabe was heartily applaud-
ed as he laid down one telling point
after another and his reference to Bal
timore hundred was enthusiastically
received"